NCD renews call to end asset and income limits during Disability Employment Awareness Month

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and a National Council on Disability (NCD) spokesperson used the observance to renew the council’s call to reform asset and income limits in federal benefit programs.

The spokesperson said NCD has "spent decades analyzing employment data, identifying barriers to employment, and offering recommendations to address them," and argued that current asset and income thresholds in some federal programs create disincentives to work and risk people’s economic self-sufficiency. The statement linked the concern to the broader goals of federal disability policy, including protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The council highlighted a newly released Asset Limits Report and said policymakers and members of the public can find the report and other employment-related analyses at ncd.gov. "Check out our latest Asset Limits Report and the numerous other employment reports we have provided policymakers at ncd.gov," the spokesperson said.

NCD framed the report as part of its ongoing research and policy work intended to inform lawmakers and federal agencies considering how benefit rules affect employment choices among people with disabilities. The statement did not specify particular programs or legislative proposals or provide a timetable for recommended changes.

The council’s release coincides with an annual effort to raise awareness about employment opportunities and obstacles for people with disabilities; NCD emphasized that addressing program rules governing assets and income is among its priorities for enabling greater workforce participation.